Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Max Holloway after suffocating defeat at UFC 326?
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 07: (L-R) Charles Oliveira of Brazil and Max Holloway speak following the BMF Championship fight during the UFC 326 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 07, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
UFC 326 went down this past weekend (Sat., March 7, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Michael Johnson, who was knocked out cold by Drew Dober via devastating second round finish (see it again here).
And Brunno Ferreira, who was put to sleep by Gregory Rodrigues in the first round of their Middleweight showdown (highlights here). But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Coming into his main event title fight against Charles Oliveira, “Blessed” was eight months removed from a successful “BMF” title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318, his first win since getting starched by Ilia Topuria (highlights). With a win, Holloway was hoping to get back into the championship picture, especially if it came along with another highlight-reel finish.
Unfortunately for Holloway, he never got much of an opportunity to get that stoppage win.
Indeed, for the majority of the 25-minute fight, Oliveira managed to control “Blessed” on the ground, attempting to secure one submission after another. While credit has to be given to “Blessed” for defending well time and time again, he found himself in bad positions all night with the much larger opponent on top of him.
Not only did he have to fend off Oliveira’s world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he had to eat some big shots in the process, too. While on the feet, Oliveira found some success, as well. And while Holloway did get his chance to point to the center of the cage in the final moments, there was only five seconds left in the fight up to that point.
In the end, the judges had an easy fight to score because Oliveira dominated the fight with ease, taking home a unanimous decision win to halt the “Blessed” run to another title shot. Afterward, a defeated Holloway revealed that he is far from done, vowing to return stronger than ever.
“[My gameplan was] just stick and move, you know?” Holloway said in his post-fight speech. “But, they came with a better gameplan. You’ve got to give it up for Oliveira. Hell of a fighter, true BMF. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m going to come back, whoop somebody’s ass and be right in title contention again.
“I ain’t done yet,” Holloway added. “I’m going to see Mr. Oliveira again, bro. That’s for sure.”
As far as what’s next for the Hawaiian-born scrapper, a fight against Paddy Pimblett sounds intriguing. While it may not seem logical to some, it makes sense, style-wise. Pimblett — who is coming off a tough loss at the hands of Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 — is known for his stand-and-bang style, which is right up Holloway’s alley.
“Baddy” is currently ranked No. 6, while Holloway sits at No. 4. And since both men are coming off defeats, it makes sense to book them against each other to see who gets back on the winning track. It’s a good matchup between two big names who can easily co-headline a numbered event.
Thoughts?
For complete UFC 326 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
